RAWALPINDI: The government has imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in Rawalpindi for two days as local authorities gear up for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protest announced by the former ruling party in the city on Saturday.
The notification, issued by the Punjab Home Department, forbids all political gatherings, rallies, sit-ins, protests and similar activities, local media reported.
The development comes as Tehreek-e-Insaf had earlier planned to hold a rally in Rawalpindi today which was later turned into a protest as announced by the party’s founder on Friday.
The PTI had also withdrawn its plea seeking a no-objection certificate (NOC) to hold a rally from the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi (LHC). The PTI, as part of its months-long efforts to take permission to hold public gatherings, has managed to stage two rallies in Islamabad and Lahore under strict conditions in recent days.
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The Lahore rally, also held on September 21, had come to an abrupt end following police took control of the stage, as the gathering exceeded the deadline set by the city authorities.
After the gathering, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Ali Amin Gandapur said that they would hold rallies in Mianwali as well as Rawalpindi following which an application was submitted to the latter’s deputy commissioner seeking permission to stage a rally at either Bhatta Chowk or Liaquat Bagh.